Mimi Tachikawa (太刀川 ミミ,Tachikawa Mimi?) is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02. First appearing in the film Digimon Adventure (1999), Mimi has made regular appearances in the television series as a main character and also in other supplementary medias.

As one of the DigiDestined, Mimi is partnered with Palmon and is also the rightful holder of the Crest of Sincerity, known as the Crest of Purity (純真の紋章,Junshin no mōshō?) in the original version.

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Description

Mimi is a girly girl and branded as "Daddy's little princess". Unable to cope in the Digital World, she is described as "self-centered, but not selfish." [1] She is in the same class as Izzy Izumi and is the most beautiful girl in the class.[2] Mimi is very blunt and outspoken, and despite her complaining, she has no ill intentions towards others.

Mimi lives with her parents in Odaiba as an only child. In the English version, there was a dub error where she mentions a baby brother, but was later never mentioned again.[3]

Appearances

Pilot film

Mimi made her first appearance in the short pilot film Digimon Adventure (1999), which was combined as the first part of Digimon: The Movie (2001) was localized. The film depicts her first encounter with a Digimon as a young child.

In the television series

Succeeding the film, Mimi is a main character in the television series Digimon Adventure (1999). In this series, Mimi is in fourth grade and is ten years old.

Mimi in Digimon Adventure 02 (season 2, 1st half)

In the sequel, Digimon Adventure 02, Mimi appears less frequently due to moving to New York City and relinquishing her abilities to Yolei Inoue.[4] Taking place roughly four years after Digimon Adventure (three years in the original version), Mimi is now in ninth grade and fourteen years old (seventh grade and thirteen years old in the original version). She befriends fellow DigiDestined children in New York such as Michael. In the epilogue, Mimi has become a nutritionist with her own television show and has a son who is partnered with a Tanemon.

Mimi also appears in the WonderSwan game D-1 Tamers as a contestant in the D-1 Tournament, where she battles Ryo and asks him for a date when she loses.

In the game Digimon Tamers: Brave Tamer, Mimi and Palmon are attacked by Monzaemon, and Ryo has the option to save her over T.K. and Kari. Following the end of the battle, he allows Palmon to join his party.

In other films

In the film Our War Game! (2000), the second part of the localized Digimon: The Movie, which takes place on the spring break after Digimon Adventure, Mimi makes a brief appearance but does not participate in the battle due to vacationing in Hawaii.

When the film featurette release of Digimon Hurricane Landing! and its second part, Supreme Evolution! The Golden Digimentals, which also made the third part of Digimon: The Movie, Mimi is captured by Wendigomon during his search for Willis and is de-aged until Davis and Willis defeat him. Due to Digimon Hurricane Landing!/Supreme Evolution! The Golden Digimentals being heavily cut when the movie was localized for Digimon: The Movie, this subplot was removed in the English version.[5]

The sequel of Our War Game!, Revenge of Diaboromon (2001), takes place on the spring break after Digimon Adventure 02. Mimi comes back from New York and joins the DigiDestined halfway in the movie.

In the CD dramas

Matt is featured in supplementary audio dramas released on CD during the television series' run, most of which consist miscellaneous adventures with the other DigiDestined that do not relate to the overall plot of the show. These include Mimi comically battling Kari over identifying who Izzy's love letter is addressed to [6] and being captured by Boltmon on Valentine's Day.[7]

Mimi was also one of the characters who exclusively appeared in the audio drama CD Digimon Adventure 02: Drama CD: Natsu he no Tobira (デジモナドベンチャー０２ ドラマCD 夏への扉,Dejimon Adobenchā Zero Tsū Dorama Shīdī Natsu he no Tobira?), which was released on October 3, 2001.

In an audio drama released years after the end of Digimon Adventure 02, which takes place between Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02, Mimi documents her new life in New York as well as the September 11 attacks, which took place shortly after she arrived.[8]

Development

Mimi's character was designed for the pilot movie storyboard by Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru. In an exclusive interview released with the Digimon Adventure DVD box on December 21, 2007, producer Satoru Nishizono revealed that as the staff had agreed on deciding Tai's name, he had tried to name the other characters similarly with kanji that related to "luck." [9]

In Japan, excluding the pilot film Digimon Adventure, all of Mimi's appearances were voiced by Ai Maeda,[2] who originally auditioned for Sora.[10]Umi Tenjin had also auditioned for Mimi, but was casted as Izzy instead.[11]

Merchandise

During the run of the television series Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02, Mimi was included in merchandise such as trading cards. In Japan, her character was also given four theme songs: "Itsudemo Aeru Kara" (いつでも会えるから?), "Super Girl" (スーパー☆ガール,Sūpā Gāru?), "Tomadoi" (戸惑い?), and "Open Your Heart." All songs were performed by her voice actress, Ai Maeda. Her character CD single, Super Girl: Best Partner 5: Mimi Tachikawa & Palmon (スーパー☆ガール ベストパートナー⑤ 太刀川ミミ&パルモン,Sūpā Gāru Besuto Pātonā 5 Tachikawa Mimi & Parumon?), which also included Palmon's (Shihomi Mizowaki) solo "Koyubi no Fantasy ~Shokubutsu wa Akiramenai~" (小指のファンタジー～植物はあきらめない～,Koyubi no Fantajī ~Shokubutsu wa Akiramenai~?) and their duet Happy Smile, was released on June 21, 2000. It debuted at #98 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and stayed there for one week.[12]

As Maeda sings the ending theme songs to Digimon Adventure under the name AiM, Mimi's image was used to market her single "I Wish", which had "Itsudemo Aeru Kara" as a b-side.

In the English version, Mimi also had a solo song, known by the title "I Wanna Sing a Song", which she sang to awaken ShogunGekomon in Digimon Adventure. The song was performed by Philece Sampler.

Reception

In a series of online polls conducted on Toei Animation'sDigimon website, Mimi was ranked 6th by Japanese voters as Favorite DigiDestined.[13] When the same question was asked two more times, her rank fell to 9th [14] and failed to chart on the final poll.[15] Mimi is ranked 1st as the DigiDestined who voters related the most to.[16]